Canada

As tiny homes arrive in Hamilton, councillors ask why city bought made-in-China units for $35K each

The City of Hamilton made headlines last fall when it decided to purchase 40 tiny homes from a local company in Brantford, Ontario, to create a new outdoor shelter site. The goal was to support a local, Indigenous-owned business that could deliver on a tight timeline. However, what city staff didn’t realize was that MicroShelters, the company they chose, was actually a new corporation that would order the tiny homes from China through an American company.

According to Danielle Blake, the city’s manager of housing-focused street outreach, the decision to go with MicroShelters was based on the need for shelters large enough for two people that could be delivered quickly. The city approved the project in September with plans to open the shelter by early December. However, due to construction delays and issues with the delivery of the tiny homes, the project was pushed back until January.

It wasn’t until this week that half of the order of tiny homes arrived, with the rest expected to arrive soon. The city paid $35,000 for each “double cabin,” which includes two beds but does not include delivery fees. The total cost of the project, including setup and operation for a year, is estimated to be around $7 million. The Good Shepherd has been contracted to operate the site.

One of the concerns raised by Ward 9 councillor Brad Clark was the fact that MicroShelters had only been registered as a corporation a few weeks before being selected by the city. The company incorporated on August 28, according to Ontario’s business registry. Additionally, staff admitted that they had never seen the units in person and had only viewed online images from a similar project in Salt Lake City, Utah.

See also  Enbridge Pays Bad River Band $5.1M In Line 5 Profit, Moves Pipeline By 2026: Judge

Looking back, Grace Mater, the general manager of healthy and safe communities, acknowledged that more due diligence could have been done to gather information on the company and the source of the shelters. She took responsibility for any oversights, stating, “If we failed to do everything we should have, it should be on me.”

Overall, the project serves as a reminder of the importance of careful procurement processes to ensure that the city gets value for its money. As the tiny homes are set to house 80 people experiencing homelessness, it is crucial that the project is executed properly and efficiently.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button